Eagles

Film breakdown: Carson Wentz's top plays of 2017 (as voted on by the Eagles)

The Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz escapes the scrum behind him — which was a certain sack — and runs 17 yards for a first down during the game against the Washington Redskins at Lincoln Financial Field October 23, 2017. Eagles beat Washington 34-24.

CLEM MURRAY / Staff Photographer

You think you're a fan of Carson Wentz? Imagine how his teammates feel. They got to watch one of the most accomplished seasons by an Eagles quarterback up close, either playing alongside him or from the sidelines. It was a shared experience, of course, because that's what it means to play as a team. But for many of the players, they also watched Wentz's 2017 simply as fans of greatness.

Consider rookie defensive tackle Elijah Qualls, who did a lot of watching in his first year:

"As soon as I go home and talk to friends, family, whatever, that's the first thing I tell them, like, 'Yo, you're all watching this kid on TV, but watching him in person is something insane,'" Qualls said. "Every single time I'm on the sideline, I'll be still talking about that play ten plays later. I don't care what the hell is going on.

"I gained so much respect for him once I've been able to really watch him play. He legitimately had a shot at winning the MVP and he deserved it because he was playing like it."

Wentz's season was cut short, of course, in Los Angeles last month. He tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee when he dove into the end zone against the Rams. Wentz's fearlessness, his disregard for his own health, or his reckless – whatever you want to call it – led to many of his best plays. But it also contributed to his injury.

Asked for his favorite Wentz play, safety Malcolm Jenkins joked, "Any play that he slid."

The Eagles' postseason hopes are potentially crippled by the loss of Wentz, so the following list may be a painful reminder of what was lost at the Coliseum. But his year was special and more than just statistics and wins. You had to be there to describe it. Wentz is more than just the spectacular. He can make all the throws from the pocket, read defenses, and lead. But the plays that will stand the test of time are the incredible ones that all came at pivotal junctures. Six of the seven plays below came on third down and at least eight yards. The other was on fourth down. Each play was for either a touchdown or led to one.

Some of the players' memories were already a little fuzzy. But their recollections (embellishments) are just part of The Legend of Carson. Here's a recreation of Wentz's best plays, as voted on by his teammates:

DEEP DIG VS. THE PANTHERS, OCT. 12 — (1 vote: Nate Sudfeld)

Third down and 16, Eagles led, 21-16, with 1 minute and 16 seconds left in the third quarter.

Animated GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

Wentz threw to Mack Hollins for 20 yards.

Sudfeld: There was a deep dagger dig [route]. A guy came free and Carson stepped up and hit [Hollins].

Animated GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

Sudfeld: That was filthy. A. There was no panic knowing that there was an unblocked guy. And B. The drill work we've done to prepare for that one was unreal because, literally, just to step up a few steps and know you're about to get hit and fire it on the run is ridiculous.

Animated GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

Sudfeld: It was third down and a pivotal point in the game, which really kind of got us going.

The Eagles scored a touchdown three plays later and took a 28-16 lead. They eventually won, 28-23.

Third down and 9, Eagles led, 7-0, with 13:25 left in the second quarter.

Animated GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

Wentz scrambled 16 yards for a first down.

Hicks: He had a free blitzer off the edge and there was a screen to the left and he just spun out.

Seumalo: They brought more than we had blocked.

Sturgis: They had him in.

Seumalo: Everything was bad, but he did his magic.

Animated GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

Sturgis: It showed his athleticism more than anything.

Animated GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

Hicks: It just shows how natural of an instinct he has for making plays. He's got a screen called. They got the perfect play called to stop the screen. He sees it. I don't even think he knows he's got a free runner. It's just a feel. It's the 'X' factor that he brings.

The Eagles scored a touchdown three plays later to take a 14-0 lead. They eventually won, 31-3.

Third down and 13, Eagles trailed, 17-3, on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Animated GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

Wentz and Agholor hooked up for 51 yards.

Douglas: I was like, 'How the hell did he make it, like falling down you can throw 60 yards?'

Gibson: He was down on like one knee.

Johnson: He Michael Jackson-leaned to the side. I'm talking a hard lean.

Warmack: I already knew he was special, but he's like on a whole other level because regular dudes ain't doing that. They're just going to throw it out of bounds, or run out of bounds.

Animated GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

Elliott: I've never seen any arm talent like that, where he's falling and there's literally nothing underneath him and he throws the ball 50 yards sidearm.

Johnson: It was strictly arm strength. And I'm sitting here watching from the sidelines and I was in awe.

Animated GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

Smith: He showed everything that he had to be able to do that. He showed his strength because he had to brush off the d-linemen. And his arm strength. He kept his eyes downfield.

Qualls: It just didn't make sense. If you told me somebody threw a 45-yard bomb – not just a bomb, but a dime, while being tackled and falling sideways? – I would be like I don't know if that's going to happen.

Two drives after the Wentz-to-Clement touchdown, the Eagles were up, 24-17, with 14:55 left in the fourth. They faced a third and 8.

Animated GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

Wentz scrambled 17 yards for a first down.

Bradham: I call it "The Houdini Play." You thought it was a sack, but it wasn't.

Barner: The pocket collapsed literally on him.

Jernigan: The whole stadium thought the guy was down.

Watkins: I grabbed my helmet and was like, '[Expletive].' And then next thing you know we look up and he's taking off.

Animated GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

Brandon Graham: "I was like, 'Dang, they got him – Oh!'

Donnie Jones: I was jogging out on the field and I was like, 'Wait a minute.'

Jernigan: Next you know he just pops out of nowhere and he scrambles 30, 40 yards.

Animated GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

Vaitai: It was just bad. I was falling back and all of sudden I hear the crowd cheering.

Means: It looked like he was falling backwards and he caught his balance, leaned forward, got up out of there and ran.

Corey Graham: He had nowhere to go. There's no way he could have gotten away from that. But somehow he ducked underneath.

Animated GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

Vaeao: It was a miracle.

Corey Graham: That exemplifies who he is as a quarterback. Somehow he just finds a way to get loose and make plays.

Lovato: That's where I was like, 'Holy cow, this kid is legit.'

Jernigan: He's special. That dude is special. But I figured that out about him last year when I had a chance to play against him with the Ravens. He battled his butt off.

Watkins: You watch quarterbacks every week and someone brushes by them and they go down — I'm trying to protect myself for my team. He has no thought in his mind about his body. He's just trying to win at all cost.